Sorting Charts

Capt'n John and I already have a number of paper charts on board; we also have two electronic chart plotters, a Garmin and a Raymarine,  but are also firm believers in that you should have paper charts and know how to read and use them.
What happens if you are in unknown waters and you have an electrical problem or loose all electronics? Some of the electronic charts are not 100% accurate; most are extremely good but than there is that time that they are not. You all know "Murphy's Law"? When least expected or at the most cruical moment.
We sent away for a heap more chart from Bellinghan Chart Printers http://www.tidesend.com/  which arrived the other day. Brilliant! All charts are up to date and at more than half the cost.
Now Capt'n John is gluing on the updates, for our older charts, that he has downloaded from the net. Big job and taking a lot of time. This is a part of our boat preparation.

Capt'n Sorting the Charts

Editing Blog

Golly gosh - I have been playing on the blog site - rearranging headings, boxes and info.
I was just thinking (and it didn't hurt)
As we go along, maybe I should be putting in something about the weather and our Lat / Long, and then I thought that if you want the Lat / Long there is the link in the side column to where we are. Weather I can do - it is raining again in Brisbane.

The rain on the ground - heading down Jacobs Ladder near King Edwards Park in Brisbane City

Just a slight hic-up to my sailing plans.

My right wrist was injured last year as we were sailing south from Cairns. You know how it is; in the moment of the sail, changing sail plan and pulling lines and getting hurt fits in there sometimes.
I was thinking / hoping that it was just a sprain; as you do, but I knew better - something; like excruciating pain and the fact that I could not use my hand, was a dead give away.
Went to a couple of doctors along the way, who did not give me their excellent service, maybe because I was a fly-in and not a regular customer - who knows. I did get an Xray and a physio visit out of all that and still no relief. One thing I did come away with was a piece of advise from the young lady physio - to buy a thumb splint / guard, which I did while down in Lake Macquarie near Newcastle in NSW and have been wearing it ever since.
The injury is still there although the pain is more localized to the one spot. Still cannot use my hand/ thumb for most things.
My doctor in Brisbane sent me for an ultrasound and off to the "hand doc". so now I am booked in for surgery next we and am looking forward to a full recovery in about six weeks. Then we can sail............!!!!

Moreton Bay, Manly, QLD at Low Tide

One For The Bucket List

This has to be one of the things that is on my bucket list - you know - things that you want to do before you kick the bucket.
To sail all the way around Australia is a bloody long way and will take us, me and John, over two years to complete. (others have done it is less, but not us)
The first preparation job for John is borrowing or copying all the imformation that anyone has written about any part of this trip. Meanwhile I have bought some new charts from the "states" and have thrown out all my high heeled shoes. Something on - something off is the rule on our boat and I wont be needing heels on this little adventure.

MBTBC Marina at Sunrise